Chapter Seven

I was warm. That was the first thing I noticed. Other than the fact that I had been sleeping and was now awake. Awoken by voices; arguing. My head was thumping. From either the effect the alcohol had had on me, or that horrible memory which hadn't left me the entire night. It replayed over and over in my dreams. And I couldn't escape it. It was horrible. How could it be that I left California and a horrible life and moved to Forks, only to have things be made worse. It wasn't fair. I had a bad omen following me wherever I went; constantly bringing bad luck. I prayed for the day when good luck would come my way. I was hoping that day would be soon. That yesterday was the turning point, the worst things could get and that today would be a better day. That all the gloomy days were part of my past and would be overpowered by the better days to come. I could only hope.

I forced open my eyes, only to see yet more unfamiliar surroundings. Yes, I was in a bed and a comfortable one at that. The room had light yellow walls, and it was quite bare; possibly a guest room. Although, I was no guest. An intruder perhaps. I sat up, my head dizzying so badly I had to hold myself up. It was quiet, apart from the occasional yell as the arguing continued. I couldn't quite make out what the argument was about, but it seemed fiery and severe. I thought it best not to eavesdrop, so I tried my best to ignore it. It was only when I got distracted by the bed covers and I glanced down to inspect them, that I noticed I had been cleaned of all traces of blood and that my top had been changed into a light gray sweatshirt. For this I was thankful, and that the person could keep the top if they wanted, for I certainly didn't want it back. I wanted to get rid of all things that would remind me of the night before. But then I realized that it was me that had to forget it. I had to throw the memory from my brain and forget. It was harder than it seemed.

I pulled my knees to my chest and leaned back against the headboard of the bed. I hugged my knees tightly, and began to rock myself back and forth slightly. I continued to look around, searching the room for some sort of clue to where I was. But there was nothing that could really give away the destination of my captivity. Not that I was being held captive, at least I thought I wasn't. I had yet to meet the owner of this place, so I could not yet force a judgment upon them. There was a small window, covered by blue curtains. I felt the urge to walk over and let the light spill into the room. Rather like what I wish could happen to my life at the minute. Let the happy brightness overpower the dreary darkness. So that's what I intended to do. I swung my legs over the edge of the bed, and put my feet on the fluffy carpet. I stood up feeling weak. I didn't know whether or not I was, or if it was my mind playing tricks on me. I walked slowly across the room, careful to keep my footing. Although, I knew there was nothing I could trip on, but I felt as though I would fall over at any second. But I kept going, determined to make it to the window. As I walked across the room, my feet suffered. I barely remember running into nowhere without any shoes. My feet had obviously paid the price. Soon I made it to the window. I reached up my hands and pulled the curtains open; the sun shone into the room. I squinted; though found it hard not to gasp as pain shot through my face. Ignoring it, I turned my attention back to the open window. I vividly remember Forks ever being so sunny, so perhaps I wasn't in my little hometown. I gazed out the window, there was a few cars parked in the yard. A blue one, a silver one and a red one. The red one seemed so very familiar.

Suddenly there was a sharp knock on the door. It seemed rude to be prying out a window when the person who let you sleep the night walks in, so I quickly jumped away from the window. 'Do you mind if I come in for a minute, Ruby?' the voice behind the door said. Female, was the person on the opposite side of the door, so I observed. And she seemed nice, from the tone of her voice. 'I just want to explain a couple of things, I know you're probably confused at how you got here and such.'

'Oh .. sure, come on in,' I replied shyly as I awaited the door to be opened and reveal the unknown person. Soon enough, the door opened slowly and I looked up to see a very beautiful woman. I smiled, and it was only when I looked back at her face that I saw the scars. Three long, prominent scars on her beautiful face. They cascaded from her cheek to her chin and curved with her laugh lines. I felt my jaw drop slightly, but quickly snapped it up. I smiled bashfully, and cursed myself for staring. 'Sorry … I – I – '

The woman smiled warmly and shut the door behind her. 'You don't need to be sorry,' she said reassuringly. 'I'm sure you weren't expecting it. I'm Emily,' she said, offering her hand, to which I took and shook slightly, before she pulled me into a bone-crushing hug. I think I like her. She seemed to be the very friendly type, motherly almost and her scars definitely did not affect her confidence. I actually admired the girl. And I had only just met her. 'How are you feeling? You were looking a bit peaky last night and you certainly were in a right state. So I cleaned you up, changed your top and gave you a sleeping pill – to ease the pain and help you sleep more comfortably.'

I smiled as she babbled on; she was a chatterbox. 'I'm fine thanks. Just a bit stiff, and my feet are a bit sore too,' I admitted. Well, there was no point telling a lie was there? She seemed nice enough, so maybe she would get me something for my feet. It wouldn't matter if she did or not, she'd already done enough. 'And thanks you so much for letting me stay the night and cleaning me up and stuff. I really appreciate it. Really,' I said earnestly. And to be honest, I was feeling a bit tearful. And I could feel the tears stinging my eyes when I said the word night. Last night. That horrible memory. I quickly brought my hand up to wipe the tears away from my eyes. 'Sorry …' I mumbled, bowing my head to hide my face.

'Oh Ruby, there's no need to be sorry. What happened isn't your fault,' Emily said comfortingly, pulling me into a hug. 'If you ever need someone to talk to about it, I'm here. Even if you just want a good cry. I can evacuate this place of men, grab a few weepy DVD's and a couple of tubs of ice cream and we can just spend the night crying over stupid things,' she said which made me giggle through my sobbing. She was being so nice to me, I had only met her five minutes ago and already she was acting like my sister. I sniffed, and wiped my face with my hands before taking a couple of deep breaths so compose myself. 'You feeling okay now?' I nodded, and gave her a watery smile. 'Like I said, now you know me – I'm always here if you want to talk.'

'Thank you, Emily. Really,' I said quietly, 'It's very nice of you considering – ' I choked on my breath, before taking a deep breath, '– considering, you barely know anything about me.'

Emily chuckled, which confused me slightly. 'I wouldn't be so sure of that. I've heard a lot about you, Ruby Taylor,' she said, with a beaming smile. I glanced up at her bewilderedly. It sounded rather a lot like I had some sort of stalker – which wasn't exactly what I needed right now. 'Well … I'm not supposed to give anything away, but Paul does talk about you quite a bit.' My eyes widened and I snapped my gaze towards her, and furrowed my eyebrows. 'Yes, I know Paul. And Quil, Embry, Seth and Jared. Unfortunately,' she said, and I laughed. 'Awk, no they're all really nice. Paul has temperament problems though, slightest thing will set him off –'

'I know all about that,' I said grimly, frowning.

'But that's not to say he's not lovely, because he is,' Emily said quickly, as if trying to persuade me. Which I though was quite cute. 'And anyway, I have noticed his temper deflating in the last couple of weeks … and well, I have been trying to figure out why since then. And now, it seems that I have found that reason,' she said, nudging me with her elbow. I smiled, and chuckled slightly. Well, it was more like breathing out heavily, you know, that type of laugh. 'He really likes you, you know.'

I felt myself blush madly, and just had to hid my face from Emily's gaze. 'Yeah … I sort of knew that but – I don't know – it was all so quick and I guess it scares me a bit,' I said honestly. I was confused, because I knew I liked him, but sometimes he could be irritating and too overprotective for only knowing me for about a month. 'Because ... I do like him but the things that have happened to me have scared me and I – urggh – I just don't know.'

'Well, take this from someone who knows what it's like … you can try to resist him as much as you want, but in the end, you won't be able to,' Emily said wisely, as if she had been through me experiences. Surely she hadn't been through what I had been through. But she sounded as though she knew what she was talking about. I remained quiet, thinking through what she had just said, taking in every word as if it meant something. It might one day. Suddenly, my stomach growled loudly, loud enough for Emily to hear and begin to chuckle. 'You sound like you're hungry. You can have a shower while I'm making you breakfast, sure –'

'Oh no, you really don't need to, Emily. You've already done so much,' I said, gratefully.

'I might as well finish the job and let you use my shower and make you breakfast,' Emily said, getting to her feet and making her way towards the door. 'I'll leave you in a towel and show you the bathroom,' she said, opening the door of the bedroom. This made the arguing easier to hear. Which wasn't at all beneficial.

'NO, YOU CAN'T SEE HER. YOU BROKE THE BOUNDARIES! YOU'RE ONE OF THE OLDEST MEMBERS OF THIS PACK AND YOU CROSSED THE LINE, PAUL!'

'I WASN'T GOING TO LET HER DIE IN THAT FOREST, SAM! I HAD TO SAVE HER; BOUNDARIES OR NO BOUNDARIES!'

I glanced up at Emily. She did not look happy whatsoever. 'Excuse me one moment, Ruby. I'll be back with a towel in a minute,' she said, turning on her heel and striding down the hallway. She seemed very angered, and I was certainly feeling a little bit scared for whoever she was for telling off. 'GET OUT OF MY HOUSE RIGHT NOW! HOW DARE YOU START AN ARGUMENT WHEN WE HAVE A GUEST! GET OUT!'

'I'm sorry, Emily. Baby, I'm sorry I upset you – but Paul broke the boundaries and –'

'No. I don't want to hear it, Sam. If you have an argument, I don't want anywhere near my house, understand? I want my house in once piece, not a complete wreck if one of you slips! Now, if you will excuse me, Ruby is waiting for me down the hall and I don't want to keep her waiting any longer while I deal with overgrown children!' Emily snapped, and that was the end of that conversation, or so I thought.

'Emily – can I go and see how Ruby is? She looked so bad last night and I just –'

'No, Paul. She's going for her shower now, you'll see her when she comes down for breakfast. And I think it's best if you go outside and cool down,' I heard Emily say calmly. Footsteps echoed down the hall, and I turned my attention to inside the room. 'Sorry about that, Ruby. They just need someone to keep them in line,' she said, as she entered the room, a white towel in her hands. 'There you go –' she handed me the white towel, '– now the bathroom is just opposite and take as long as you want.'

I got to my feet and followed her as she guided me towards the bathroom. 'Thank you, Emily,' I said timidly and waited outside the bathroom.

Emily tutted and pushed me inside the bathroom impatiently, 'Now remember, take as long as you want. I'll have your breakfast ready when you're finished,' she said with a smile and closed the bathroom door behind me.

I looked around the small bathroom, which consisted of a toilet, wash hand basin and a bath with a shower head. It was designed brightly with green and blue tiles. It was cluttered, but cozy. I walked forward towards the bath, reached up and turned on the shower, before pulling the multicoloured shower curtain across. As the room began to steam up, I quickly undressed, ignoring the bruises that had collected on my body. I pulled back the curtain and stepped into the bath, immediately letting the water drown my skin. It felt amazing. Letting the water wash away all the sweat and grime, and bad memories of him touching my skin. I felt clean. Refreshed. I picked up a pink bottle of shampoo I assumed belonged to Emily. I felt guilty taking it, but then reassured myself that she wouldn't mind. I would repay her for everything she had done anyway. I lathered my hair with the sweet smelling shampoo, and rinsed it under the water. I quickly splashed my face with water, hoping that it would help me appear more awake than what I felt. When I felt satisfyingly clean, I reached up and turned the shower off, before grabbing the white towel I had placed on the rack and wrapping it around me. I stepped out of the bath and onto the white tiled floor, being cautious not to slip. I could feel my stomach; empty. So I quickly dried myself off and got dressed before gently rubbing my hair dry to get rid of the excess water. I glanced around the small bathroom searching for a laundry basket, I eventually found it in the corner of the room hidden under a large cupboard. I put the towel into the basket, and closed the cupboard once more. I made sure to steer clear of the mirror as I walked towards the door of the bathroom. I had figured I would look a mess, and I vividly remembered him hitting me, so I assumed I would have a few bruises. I slowly opened the door of the bathroom; it was quiet.

I was hoping that Paul and Sam – who I had figured to be Emily's boyfriend – had left the house as Emily had ordered them to. I didn't really want to be confronted by them, especially when I wasn't feeling up to answering many questions. Although, in saying that, I had a few questions to ask myself. Boundaries? I had been sub-consciously wondering what they were since I had heard Sam mentioning that Paul had broken them. I didn't want to seem rude, so, I decided that it probably wasn't best if I asked about it. And anyway, it most likely had nothing to do with me. I padded down the hallway, following the smell of freshly cooked food, my bare feet tingling as they met the cold linoleum floor. It was quite a cozy little house. Small, but it looked bearable to live in. As I continued to walk down the hallway, the cluttering of cutlery and kitchen utensils became louder; Emily must still be busy making me breakfast. I stopped and peered around the corner; the room was large, which seemed most unusual for a house of such compactness. The living/dining room was littered with a large table, two sofas, three armchairs and a large television in the corner. This was obviously the main living quarters in the house. But what confused me was why there were so many chairs, to hold quite a lot of people, when there was probably only three bedrooms. I hoped Emily would explain this later. It would surely get on my nerves if I wasn't able to figure it out. As I became more confident that only Emily was present, I walked around the corner, and into the living room. The kitchen was conjoined onto the living room, and was separated by a workbench. As I had predicted, Emily was still busy making my breakfast.

I thought I had made an unnoticed entrance, but it appeared not. 'I think that shower helped; you're looking much better. More refreshed,' Emily said suddenly looking up at me and smiling. I smiled back timidly, and watched her as she cracked an egg into the frying pan. 'You can sit down, you know,' she said, nodding towards the table. It seemed rude to refuse, so I made my way over to the large table, still bewildered why it was so huge, pulled out a chair and sat down. 'I bet you're starving – but don't worry, it'll be ready in just a sec.'

'Thank you,' I said quietly, removing my attention from Emily cooking and surveying the room. It seemed more like a man's room, from the aura it gave. As I continued to glance around the room, I found more evidence towards this. A PlayStation was situated under the television; there was a countless number of DVD's on a rack beside the television; there was music and car magazines littered across the sofas and a stereo which was surrounded by what seemed like hundreds of CD's. I didn't recall seeing anything feminine.

'There you go.' I think I physically jumped when Emily set the plate down in front of me. I had been whisked away in my own little daydream that I forgot I wasn't the only one in the room. 'Now, if you don't like anything, you don't have to eat it – or if you don't even want whats on your plate, I can make you pancakes or something,' Emily said. I glanced down at the plate of food. A fry. Oh boy. And it looked like heaven. I gave her a gawk look as if to say she was mad, before picking up the fork, stabbing it into a sausage and biting a bit off. I never tasted anything so good. I think I might have actually groaned when my taste buds registered how nice it tasted. 'You like it then?'

I sighed, 'That you so much, Emily. This is so, so nice. Just delicious.'

'Yes, well, I've heard that my cooking is pretty good,' Emily said with bashful smile as I sent her a questioning look. She sighed, and sat down on the chair at the end of the table next to me. I felt a story coming on. Not that, that was a bad thing or anything – I was still curious as to why this table was so huge. 'I normally cook for Sam's friends from time to time too, you see. I think that's why they keep coming back – because my cooking is so good. I'm not boasting or anything, it's just something I take pride in. And I do like feeding them; it's as if I'm rewarding them,' she explained.

'So that's why there's so many chairs,' I concluded.

Emily chuckled. 'You'd be surprised how cramped it gets when you have seven, large native Americans in your living room. And you'd be surprised how much they all eat. It's so bad, I've gotten used to buying things by the dozen, just so I would have enough to feed them,' she said. Then I started to feel sorry for her. She hadn't mentioned any female friends as of yet. I couldn't imagine feeding and living with seven guys. I could survive it, I'm sure, but I would miss out on my heart to hearts with another of the female species. 'But the good thing about it is, because I feed them, they all do as I tell them and never argue with me. Food is the way to a man's heart, that's one thing I've learnt.'

'So you reckon if I feed Paul cookies every day for a month, he'd cut this over-protectiveness crap?' I asked. Emily laughed heartily, and slightly mockingly as well. I thought she would be the one to help me with this. 'You mean it won't work? Not even tone it down a little bit? I mean, I can't say I'm not flattered with what he's doing, but it can be a bit overbearing –'

'Feeding Paul cookies will not stop him caring about you, Ruby!' Emily said, as she continued to laugh. I ceased to find what she found amusing. I frowned, all I needed was a little bit of an explanation. 'You look unamused –'

'Of course I am! I just – I can't understand why he feels the need to protect me and care for me and be really nice to me and – it just doesn't make sense, Emily,' I said, sighing deeply. I was having a dilemma.

'Maybe he likes you. Maybe he sees you as more of a friend – '

'That – no –' That statement hit me head on. More than a friend. I was so not ready for that. After all that I had been through with guys in the past, I was not ready for another one breaking my heart or hurting me. I shook my head and looked away from Emily, avoiding eye contact. 'I – I'm not ready for that, Emily. All I need right now is a friend who I can trust.'

She actually looked sad. Like a wee, old lady who had just found out someone had ran over her cat. 'I understand, Ruby. After all you've been through recently, I think it's best if you just find your feet again – especially after what happened last night,' she said compassionately. For a while I had actually forgotten about that. That thing that happened. Him. Everything. But then it all came rushing back. I felt my expression drop to something completely emotionless. Emily picked up on this. 'Oh –' she generally did sound sorry, '– I'm so sorry, Ruby. I shouldn't have said anything!'

I managed a small smile. 'It's okay, Emily. I know you didn't mean it. And anyone could accidentally say something that would remind me –' I stopped as suddenly the front door opened. I snapped my gaze to the door; Paul was standing in the doorway. My eyes immediately drawn to his toned, muscled chest which was in full view in all its glory. I had to tear my eyes away to meet his gaze. He looked angry, or rather furious. His fists were clenched, and he began to shake violently. I couldn't look at him. I bowed my head quickly and began to move the food around on my half-empty plate. I heard him growl impatiently. I sub-consciously bit my lip. My nervous habit. I didn't know why he was angry.

'Paul, calm down. Go outside,' Emily ordered calmly, scraping her chair back against the tiled floor and getting to her feet. 'Paul, if you don't go outside, I'll have to get Sam. It's not safe. Go outside now,' she said as though she were telling off a child who had been caught stealing out of the cookie jar. I remembered being one of those kids. That was a long time ago. I couldn't persuade myself to look up and see if he had gone. There was a growl. He hadn't. 'Paul!'

'I am calm, Emily,' I heard him insist angrily.

'I think I know when you're calm and when you're not calm, Paul. Get out of my bloody house!' Emily snapped sternly; she wasn't a woman to mess with – even a tall, muscled, naturally angry guy didn't scare her. He scared me. I didn't want to look up at him, just in case he was still glaring at me.

'I'm not going anywhere! I need to talk to Ruby –'

'Paul –'

'WHAT?!'

The door slammed open; I jumped and quickly glanced up. 'Emily? What's going on?' Sam asked urgently, looking Emily up and down as though to check her for injuries. He seemed very concerned. His gaze traveled towards Paul who breathing heavily, his fists still clenched tightly. 'Paul … –' Paul glanced at him, his glare penetrating Sam with such a force, the phrase 'if looks could kill' came into mind. This hadn't been the first time I had referred to this phrase. 'Outside now,' Sam demanded. Paul didn't budge. He looked back at me, only this time, I didn't look away. I could see he was still angry, but there was something different about his expression. I couldn't put my finger on it. 'Paul, think of the consequences if something went wrong.'

Paul took one last look at me and fled.

Sam followed him out of the front door, slamming it shut behind him. Out of reaction, I stood up, pushing the chair back with the backs of my knees and maneuvering myself away from the table. I was curious. Too curious to know why he was so furious along with the slight urge to apologize and admit that he was right. I know, I know, that's going totally against my way of things – I usually never admit that I'm wrong. But, he had broke this treaty thing to save me so, I guess I owed it to him. I walked quickly towards the front door, past Emily –

'I think it's best that you stay in here, Ruby –'

'Calm down? Calm down?! HAVE YOU SEEN HER FACE!? DID YOU SEE WHAT THAT BASTARD HAS DONE TO HER! I SWEAR I'M GOING TO KILL HIM!'

I stopped abruptly, my hand inches from the handle of the front door. My face? What was wrong with my face? Oh. He had hit me. I turned to look at Emily, searching her face for some sort of explanation. If I had another black eye, let me tell you, Paul wouldn't be the one killing him. 'Is it really that bad?' I asked her, looking around the room for a mirror. I finally spotted one in the corner of the living room. Without letting her answer, I walked across the room stopping in front of the mirror. I gaped. Okay, it wasn't as bad as what Emily had and would permanently have, so I wasn't that bad off. My nose was badly bruised, and bloody looking and my left cheek was a yellowy-green colour. Basically, I looked like shit. 'Oh,' I mumbled, bringing my hand up to my battered face and touching it gently. I had to admit, I hadn't taken any notice to the pain I had felt earlier that morning. It probably had been a good thing, or else I would have been a total wreck.

'It'll heal well, Ruby … ' Emily said, as she walked up behind me and put her hand on my shoulder comfortingly. I smiled back gratefully; she really had done an awful lot for me and all for nothing. This made me determined to pay her back. 'In a couple of weeks you'll not see a trace of it.'

I didn't know how to reply. I felt rather guilty knowing that my facial injuries would disappear eventually, whilst Emily was stuck with hers for the rest of her life. I simply smiled, though it was beginning to hurt. 'Uh .. Emily? How … How did you get your – your scars?' I plucked up the courage to ask her. 'I-I was just wondering …'

She smiled back at me, as if she knew the questions was coming. 'I was mauled by a bear –' I gasped, '– in the forest, a little over six years ago ... I think,' she said, without any hesitation whatsoever. Mauled? By a bear? Oh my. I stared at her pitifully, my mouth opened slightly. 'I don't accept pity, so stop looking at me like that!' Emily said playfully, waving her hand airily.

'I'm so sorry –'

'Oh stop it. Seriously. All you have said this morning is sorry and thank you – I don't want to hear any more of it!' Emily said, and I think she was deadly serious. She watched me for a while in the reflection of the mirror, studying my expression. 'Well, I'm afraid I can't stand here all day, I had work to do,' she laughed, 'And … I think you should go and talk to Paul.'

I made an indecisive face; but I knew she was right. 'I will … but, I think I'll go for a walk – clear my head, that sort of thing,' I said, turning my attention to the window where outside the sun was shining brightly.

'That's a good idea – stay out of the forest though,' Emily said, though it sounded more of a warning. Which I would obviously take heed of. 'There's a walkway that goes from the bottom of our yard, through a bit of the forest and out onto the cliff. I would normally go for a walk down there if I ever feel the need to get away from it all,' she said, walking towards the front door and opening it. She walked into the porch and opened the small cupboard, and pulled out a pair of trainers. For me I assumed. 'Here you go. You'll need a pair of shoes.'

I walked through the living room towards her, where she handed me the trainers. I searched for the label. They were exactly my size. 'Thanks,' I said, bending down and slipping them onto my feet. When I looked up, Emily was gone. I peered out the door and she was standing outside in the sun. I made my way through the front door, walked out onto the porch and into the sun where Emily was standing. I looked around; it was a very picturesque place to have a house. Right beside the forest, and not far from the sea. I turned around to take a look at Emily's house; it appeared to be more of a cottage. 'It's lovely out here, Emily,' I said, smiling as I looked up, seeing the sun shine brightly and the clear, blue sky.

'It is, isn't it,' Emily smiled, following my gaze and looking to the sky.

I looked around once more, suddenly noticing a small indent in the forest perimeter. 'Is that the track down there?' I asked her, pointing towards the edge of the forest.

'Yeah, just keep to it and you'll reach the clifftop – and don't dive off it,' Emily said with a wink. I smiled thankfully and began to make my way slowly towards the track. 'If I don't see you within four hours, I'm sending Paul after you!' she called after me, laughing. I must admit, I did laugh myself.

I wandered slowly towards the track, not thinking anything at all. Just admiring my surroundings. When I finally reached the beginning of the track, I peered down it. It was surprisingly well lit considering a forest is normally quite dark. Undeterred, I continued my walk. I listened to the sounds of the leaves on the trees rustling in the wind, the birds chirping and the wind whistling. It was refreshing to be alone, to wallow in my own thoughts. Paul. Yes, I know, how cliché. My theory. Ha. What theory? It had completely gone to the dogs. No friends? I did have friends. Brie, Sophie, Kim, Quil and Embry. Paul. And now Emily. Not falling for any guy no matter how amazing he is? Ha. Yes, I admit it. I do like Paul. But I can't. Not now. Not after what happened last night. Last night. And him. Brie said he liked me. Maybe a bit too much. I hoped he wouldn't bother me anymore. I don't think he will, especially if Paul has anything to do with it. He really was angry. But I don't know whether he was angry at me, or what had happened. Which was why I needed to talk to him. And apologize.

I didn't know how long I had been walking for. It seemed like a while, though, Emily had said that the track only went through a part of the forest, which explained why the vegetation was thinning out and I could see the sea. I quickened my pace automatically. I wasn't sure why. But I guess because it looked so nice out on the cliff with the sun shining down. I stood for a while, just admiring the view from the top of the cliff before deciding my feet were tired. I simply sat down and leant back against a small tree, making myself comfortable. It was nice up here. Quiet and secluded. A perfect place to think. I closed my eyes, listening to the waves crash against the cliff below. It was practically lulling me to sleep. There he was in my thoughts again. Paul. Why? It brought me back to what Emily had said earlier, how I can try to resist him, but probably won't be able to. What did she mean? That I would probably end up with Paul? I might. But that might not happen. It might never happen. In the back of my mind I wanted it to. But I wasn't going to tell anyone that. Especially not Paul. I don't know what it was about him. I feel so drawn to him. Like, if I haven't spoken to him in a while, I start to feel the need to. But there's times when .. oh, he just annoys me. It's hard to explain. It's like we have a love/hate relationship. It's like –

'You really scared me, Ruby.'

I snapped my eyes open and glanced to my right.

Paul.

Well? What do you think? Tell me, tell me, tell me!!!! I actually really, really enjoyed writing this chapter! It just felt that my writing was going back to normal again. So, yeah, the author is pleased with this chapter … but the question is .. ARE YOU? Pleasssee review and make me happy!

There are also some things I want to know .. if that's alright (:

1. Do you think I have filled these first seven chapters with too much drama?

2. What do you think of the progression of the relationship between Ruby and Paul?

Ohh man ... so, this is set in Breaking Dawn .. after? I don't actually know! I'm soo unorganised! Okay, any of you Twilight buffins out there .. can you help me out? If this was set after BD .. then there would be no boundaries anymore. Right? This only came up when i had finished writing the chapter .. so I'm feeling a bit .. uh .. screwed. Seeing as the 'you broke the boundaries argument' comes up in this chapter. And it might not actually exist any more ..... Help!

Does it really matter to you guys though? I need to know! .... Or do you not care and just want Ruby and Paul to get over all this crap and jump each other? hahahaaaaa

Thanks a bunch! Yours sincerely, Tori!